It’s that time of year again.. The time when a few of my pictures find meaning, popularity, and I feel particularly good about my photography. I took this shot a year or so ago and it’s always made me smile. (And no, there weren’t quite that many peeps. Oh, the wonders of photoshop.)

Buy a print here.

Inspired by the internet – mainly amazing before and after pictures, and some sweet fabric patterns for sale, I took it upon myself to fix up and reupholster two outdoor rocking chairs. They were literally falling apart and a bit of a hazard to sit in. After a few days of taking apart, sanding, painting, stapling, and gluing, volia! Brand new, sweet looking chairs. (Hopefully the picture above is clear enough to show which is which.)

Today turned into a mini culinary-adventure up Highway 1 and through San Francisco. Mostly unplanned, but entirely amazing. I’m so pleased right now, I decided to write it all down. If you’re in the area and haven’t been to these places, go now!

An adventure through Hayes Valley:

• Paulette Macarons – The reason we ended in the area, I found this place online and simply had to see it for myself. And taste for myself. With the two people there who spoke better French than English, I could tell we were in the right place. A few free samples helped make our decisions, but we ended up just filling a box with one of each anyhow. A little taste of Paris.
• Miette Confiserie - A perfectly decorated European sweet shop, this will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. In Paris. Best purchased item there? Absinthe lollypops made by Lollyphile. Next to the Maple Bacon and Wasabi Ginger versions, it was really a no-brainer. Also of note? Two foot long marshmallows and an entire wall of licorice varieties.
  
• Patxi’s Pizza – Chicago deep dish pizza that you could drown in. In a good way. It takes a little while to make (30+ mins), but the end result is a pizza pie that actually deserves the name “pie”.
• True Sake – While this stop was more of a sightseeing adventure than any actual purchase, it was still by far the most beautiful (and only) sake store I’ve ever seen. Amazing displays of sakes ranging from $5 – $100+. From sake juice boxes to bottles as large as small children, I’m sure you can find what you’re looking for here.

On the way, another delight:

• Swanton Berry Farm – Some of the best berries and jams in the world as far as I’m concerned. It’s not quite berry season, so no self-picking was to be had – just a trip into their homely store to peruse the baked goods, drinks, jams, and other merch. It’s all a honor-payment system, and they’re very bike-friendly. Next time I’m there it’ll be by bike, and hopefully with enough room to take some berries home with me.

Next time:

• Absinthe – First off, they actually have the domain absinthe.com? Well done! Looks like a fun place, and has about 800 more Yelp reviews than most bars. That’s usually a good sign.
• Christopher Elbow Chocolates – Also first seen online, we only saw this mod storefront after they closed. Shame. Sounds like it’s definitely worth a stop, if even just to look at the pretty things you can do with chocolate.

The trade in value for a beat up TIE Advanced x1 Starfighter apparently was enough for a brand new Ariel Atom – an amazing vehicle. And I want one. Now where’s my extra 65 grand..

Not so shabby! Although a external mic would be nice. What a strange niche market – an external mic for a digital SLR.